Island Teacher Adventures

Learning education technology as a future UVic BEd teacher

Author: kgullackson (Page 1 of 7)

Person wearing smart glasses with holographic interface, symbolizing emerging technology.

Blog 8 – Emerging Technologies

6 December 2025 / / 0 Comments

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality are transforming education today by creating interactive learning experiences. I remember my first year of university; there was talk about ChatGPT, and I had never heard of it. When I asked what it is, I got many answers: “it’s like Google but better,” “it can do anything you ask it,” “it’s cheating.” When I first explored it, I was fascinated by how quickly AI like ChatGPT could deliver answers to your questions. I thought that, as a future teacher, this could be beneficial for creating lesson plans. As my Bachelor of Education – Elementary Curriculum continued, I realized that AI is great for ideas, but the personalization and accuracy of information still faced some challenges. I think it’s important to teach students how to use AI responsibly. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Open Learning

3D OpenAI logo on a tiled teal surface with an abstract wireframe brain made of connected spheres floating above it.
Photo by stem.T4L on Unsplash

In the research article, Artificial Intelligence Use to Empower the Implementation of OER and the UNESCO OER Recommendation, Talks about the detailed benefits, key challenges, and practical uses related to AI (Ossiannilsson et al., 2024). In the article, they discuss the strengths of AI in open education, such as saving time and effort, fostering creativity and collaboration, while also providing access to quality education. Open education can use AI to improve accessibility, personalize learning, and create more engaging, interactive learning experiences for students. However, there are some limitations to AI use, particularly the need for editing text. AI should be examined critically for copyright errors, as well as spelling and grammar mistakes. I’ve had instances where ChatGPT makes something up; it’s important to do your own work and use ChatGPT as an editing tool or for ideas. After all, AI is a robot.

Virtual Reality (VR) in Open Learning

Boy using VR glasses.
Photo by stem.T4L on Unsplash

In this article, “Co-Creating Virtual Reality as Open Educational Resources: An Inquiry-Based Thinking Approach,” looks at the TalkTech 2022 project, where students from the U.S. and Romania worked together online in international teams. Students co-creating virtual reality scenarios as open educational resources, using a five-step inquiry model based on constructivist Learning to help address students’ difficulties and support active participation. The conclusion of the project, based on their work, shows that students’ digital competencies increased through the use of collaborative tools to communicate and learn, and through VR to demonstrate their coding abilities. 

I found a news article called “Elementary school students use virtual reality to learn about Indigenous culture” about students in Kamloops, BC, using virtual reality to learn more about truth and reconciliation and Indigenous culture. I think this creative, visual approach can help students better understand the content, especially visual learners. This brings the story to life, making it engaging and fun.

Connecting AI and VR to my Free Inquiry Project

Connecting this to my free inquiry on Minecraft Education, I can see how these emerging technologies fit together. Like the VR project, Minecraft Education is a digital game-based world where students can co-create, explore, and solve problems in a shared space. Minecraft worlds can also be shared as open resources, making it easier for teachers to reuse and adapt activities. In addition, Minecraft Education uses AI to support teachers with tools like an AI-powered lesson generator and AI-focused training.

References

Ciarpelletti, L. (2018, November 22). Elementary school students use virtual reality to learn about Indigenous culture. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/elementary-school-students-use-virtual-reality-to-learn-about-indigenous-culture-1.4917182

Ebba Ossiannilsson, Rosa Leonor Ulloa Cazarez, Claire Goode, Chadia Mansour, & Cristine Martins Gomes De Gusmao. (2024). Artificial intelligence use to empower the implementation of OER and the UNESCO OER recommendation. Open Praxis, 16(2), 137–157.

Frydenberg, M., & Andone, D. (2023). Co-Creating Virtual Reality as Open Educational Resources: An Inquiry-Based Thinking Approach. Proceedings (IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies), 14–18. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICALT58122.2023.00010

Scramble letters laid out that say Learn Online.

Blog 7: MOOCS Massive Open Online Courses

5 December 2025 / / 0 Comments

What is a MOOC?

Online Courses as follows: a massive audience of students, open to anyone, consisting of individual online courses (Commonwealth of Learning, 2015).

Dr. Tony Bates discusses Massive Open Online Courses in detail in his YouTube video. He talks about the purpose of MOOCs, the type of MOOC and their strengths and weaknesses. 

In this video, the Dr.Tony Bates explains what MOOCs are and some of the benefits and limitations of this large-scale online learning format.

Dr.Tony Bates breaks it down into two types of MOOC:

  1. xMOOCs (behaviourist) mainly recorded university lectures on content creation. Some examples are Coursera, EdX, and FutureLearn. They are made by universities and licensed to use. 
  2. cMOOCs (connectivist) are communities of practice with lectures but without content presentations. Created with the knowledge and experience of the people in the learning community.

Learning with XMOOCs: Udemy

Most MOOCs are not credible for use in institutions; they are designed for continuing education. I used xMOOc for Udemy in the past to learn about digital marketing during COVID when I wanted to create a website and learn how to market my website / Gemstore bracelet small business. The course is called “ The Complete Digital Marketing Course -12 courses in 1.” I was laid off during COVID; I worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs, and during that time I learned many new skills. xMOOc was beneficial to me because it was cost-effective and I could still learn the same skills as I would in a face-to-face paid course. I will say it was more challenging to learn on my own and remotely, but it was the most I’ve ever learned by figuring it out myself. Udemy offers a Udemy certificate, but it can’t be used for university credit. I used the certificate as a motivator to finish. 

Advantages of MOOC

  • High-quality content
  • Free of low-cost options
  • Great for continued learning
  • Scalable to very large audiences

Disadvantages of MOOC

  • Lower completion rates
  • Expensive and time-consuming to create
  • Lack of initiation credit
  • Copyright restrictions. 

Linking to my Free Inquiry Project

Thinking of my free inquiry project on digital game-based learning in the classroom. I came across Minecraft Education,where they have a MOOC called Minecraft Teacher Academy, where teachers learn how to integrate Minecraft into the curriculum.

 References

Commonwealth of Learning. (2015, May 26). Massive open online courses (MOOCs) [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6E_iIav52s

Minecraft Education. (n.d.). Training for educators. Microsoft. https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/resources/training-for-educators?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Typewriter with the words lifelong learning on paper.

Blog 6: Communities in Online Learning

4 December 2025 / / 0 Comments

In my EDCI 338 course, I learned that a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a group of people you connect with often online to share resources, tools, and ideas so you can keep learning over time (Green, 2020; Oddone, 2019)

Some example that I use as my PLN are:

  • #TeachersofTiKtok on Tiktok or instagram.
  • Subreddits, where I like to use for unfilled raw answers or support.
  • Blogs/ websites
  • Facebook groups
  • Podcasts

I really value the bite-sized format, like posts, short reels, and TikToks, because they are fast and easy to fit into my day. This aligns with research on microlearning and short-form social media videos that highlight how brief, focused content can support engagement and ongoing learning (Alsaid, 2025). Even though let’s be honest, those TikToks and reels are addictive, these small pieces of content often appear during my elementary education program at UVIC or my practicum placements. For example, I’ve used ideas from these for PE lesson plan inspiration in my PE Uvic course. I enjoy being part of a community with like-minded individuals. 

Challenges of PLN

At the same time, there are challenges: algorithms can create echo chambers that reinforce biased opinions, and comment sections can include harmful or misleading content, so I need to be critical and intentional about what I consume and share on these platforms (Greenhow et al., 2022; Williams, 2024).

References

Alsaid, B., Al-Bitar, A., Mousa, L., Al-Mardini, H., Almaradni, M. M., Alhomsi, H., Al-Masalma, D., & Izzat, M. B. (2025). Short Social Media Videos as a Supplementary Educational Resource in Neuroanatomy: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 8(9), e2533971. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.33971

Asino, T., Bayeck, R., Brown, W., Francis, R. W., Kolski, T., Essmiller, K., Green, C. L., Lewis, S. L., McCabe, C., Shikongo, J., Wise, T., & Fulgencio, J. (2020). Learning in the Digital Age (T. Asino, Ed.). Oklahoma State University.

Free Inquiry: Creating a Screencast on Wayground, IXL, and Minecraft Education

2 December 2025 / / 0 Comments

For my final EDCI 339 Free Inquiry post, I want to bring everything together in a way that is useful for busy classroom teachers. Instead of writing another long post, I decided to create a short YouTube screencast that walks teachers through three different game-based learning tools and shows how they can be used for both engagement and formative assessment.

Over the past few weeks, I explored research on game-based learning, looked at different platforms, and reflected on the challenges and opportunities of using games in real classrooms. This final screencast is my way of sharing what I learned in a teacher-friendly format.

Screencast: Three Game-Based Tools for Teachers

Game-Based Learning for Teachers: Using Wayground, IXL, and Minecraft Education for Engagement and Formative Assessment

In this video, I briefly walk through three platforms:

From a teacher’s perspective, I highlight:

  • what each tool does,
  • how it might fit into everyday classroom practice, and
  • how the built-in data and reports can be used as formative assessment, not just as a game score.

My goal was to keep the video short, practical, and realistic, from a future teacher that does not have a technology background.

Next Steps as a Future Teacher

Going forward, I’d like to:

  • Try Wayground in my future practicum in April.
  • Use IXL math in my future practicum as additional help/ work.
  • I want to complete Minecraft Education’s Teacher Academy and schedule a meeting with a teacher to see how they implement the game in their classroom.

This inquiry has taught me a lot; at times I felt overwhelmed by all the different resources out there. But I believe the only way you’ll know if they work is if you try them in your class first.

French Phrase Speaking Practice

25 November 2025 /

To complete my Goal 3, I finished the Speechling Phrasebook modules for basic expressions, basic questions, and basic answers. I also recorded a short video where I say 5 phrases from each module. Below is a screenshot of my completion and the video.

Inquiry Blog 4: Planning Game-Based Learning Activity

24 November 2025 /

For this blog, I am moving into Step 4: Plan Learning Activities. Using my refined questions How can teachers integrate game-based tools into everyday practice, and how can they use game data for formative assessment?” I am planning a small learning activity that I could realistically try during a practicum or future placement.

Student typing on laptop
Photo by Ofspace LLC on Unsplash

Progress Update Blog 4

22 November 2025 /

To update you on my free inquiry project about game-based learning, I am in the process of creating a screencast that provides a quick review from a teacher’s perspective on how to use Wayground, Minecraft Education, and IXL. I chose these three game-based learning tools because they are all quite different and offer unique benefits to teachers. Here is a review of what I learned so far.

Wayground

I found that Wayground is easy to set up and learn. You just click on pre-made lessons and assign homework or create a live host, similar to Kahoot, for quick assessments during lessons. I like Kahoot, but I also appreciate that Wayground provides features such as quizzes, presentations, interactive videos, passages, worksheets, and flashcards that can be assigned to students or used during lessons. They have all the subjects to choose from, which can be filtered by grade. For customization, teachers can make their own resources from their own content and add assessment tools such as quizzes. I also discovered there is a grading, reports, and data section where teachers can automatically or manually set custom grades and generate shared reports.

Minecraft Education

With Minecraft Education, I found it intimidating because I see it as a complex gaming system I am not familiar with. However, I wanted to explore something outside my comfort zone and learn more. The one thing I learned about Minecraft Education is that it’s not a quick assessment tool; teachers need to do the work by completing the Minecraft Teacher Academy to learn the essential skills for how to incorporate gameplay into any curriculum. I downloaded the game and played around without the training, and without training, I don’t understand how it works. So I learned it’s important to invest the time as a teacher and then as students to get the game started. But once the training and learning of the basics are done, I see the benefits.

IXL Math

I learned that IXL has a BC Curriculum tab for math, science, and English, organized by the different BC learning standards. This is important because these standards are what we use as teachers to plan instruction and assess students. Instead of always going back to the BC Curriculum website to customize lessons to the standards, teachers can save time by clicking directly on a learning standard in IXL. It then links to practice questions, examples, and sometimes videos. Students can answer questions, and if they get one wrong, the program explains the correct answer. This tool could be handy for extra practice.

Reflection

Overall, with proper training, any of these game-based learning tools can be used effectively in elementary and middle school settings. Like any new technology, they can bring some fear of change and resistance at first. I noticed this in myself when I first started exploring Minecraft Education. However, once teachers have time to explore and get comfortable with these tools, that resistance usually decreases and the benefits become more apparent.

Blue, green and yellow world map with pins on them.
Photo by Andrew Stutesman on Unsplash

Blog 5: Indigenous Education and Online Learning

8 November 2025 /

In this blog, I explore my learning about Indigenous Education and online learning, inspired by Dr. Jean-Paul Restoule’s keynote on Indigenous-centred online course design.

Indigenous-Centred Online Learning

In an online course, students can revisit resources, explore topics in greater depth, and connect what they learn to their own lives. Dr. Jean-Paul shared how the Medicine Wheel (mind, body, spirit, emotion) can guide course design so that learning is holistic, not just intellectual (Restoule, n.d.)

One example that stood out to me was inviting students to mark a dot on a world map showing a place that is special to them. This simple activity can open the door to deeper conversations, stories, and relationships in an online space.

The 5 Rs of Indigenous Education

Dr. Jean-Paul Restoule developed the 5Rs model to help us think about why and how to integrate Indigenous pedagogies into an online classroom (Learning Design & Digital Innovation, n.d.)

The 5Rs:

  1. Relationship
  2. Respect
  3. Responsibility
  4. Relevance
  5. Reciprocity

I chose to focus more deeply on Responsibility.

For me, responsibility means:

  • Designing learning goals that include cultural safety and decolonial awareness.
  • Checking in with students about their responsibilities as learners, and as future leaders and elders in their communities.
  • Taking time to reflect on and unlearn my own colonial assumptions so I can design learning experiences that are more respectful and inclusive.

As a future teacher, I plan to use the 5R as a tool to help guide my online and face to face classes.

References

Learning Design & Digital Innovation. (n.d.). The 5Rs model. The University of British Columbia. https://lddi.educ.ubc.ca/integrating-indigenous-pedagogies-into-online-learning/5rs/

Restoule, J.-P. (n.d.). Indigenous-centred online course design [Keynote video]. Department of Indigenous Education, University of Victoria. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gb_IjgCnq1PoxpU0ffGLRde3hNB7Vr_-/view

Elementary students using tablets in a classroom during a game-based learning activity.
Students using classroom devices to play learning games Photo by Roman Odintsov via Pixels

Inquiry Blog 3: Exploring Digital Game-Based Learning Tools for Teachers

8 November 2025 /

This week, I continued exploring how classroom teachers can use game-based learning in practical ways. My goal is to examine game-based learning from a teacher’s perspective: How can teachers actually use specific digital game-based tools in classrooms?

I tried to reach out to teachers by email to hear about their experiences with game-based learning, but I have not received any replies yet (my personal email may have gone to spam). However, I met with Valerie on Zoom and she shared several resources and contacts. Based on her suggestions and my own research, I decided to look more closely at three game-based tools that teachers can use: Wayground (formerly Quizizz), Minecraft Education, and IXL Math games.

Wayground (formerly Quizizz) 

For this stage of my inquiry, I explored Wayground (formerly Quizizz), a gamified learning platform where teachers can create or adapt quizzes, lessons, interactive videos, passages, and flashcards. Students can use game features such as live “gameshow-style” sessions and leaderboards similar to Kahoot.

How to Get Started for Teachers

  1. Create an account (using email or a school login)
  2. Search the Wayground Library for ready-made resources that match grade and topic. Can filter results by Assessments, Lessons, Interactive Videos, Passages, or Flashcards, and then either use them as-is, assign them as homework, or copy and edit them to fit your class.

Instead of building every game from scratch, teachers can adapt existing resources, quickly set up game-style activities, and use the built-in data (scores, responses) as formative assessment to see where students are with their learning. 

Video Spotlight : Wayground Interactive Lessons

I watched a brief Wayground tutorial demonstrating how to incorporate interactive lessons and presentations in the classroom. It guides users through creating a lesson, inserting various question types, and utilizing features such as student pacing and live presentation mode to make lessons engaging and game-like.

Wayground Tutorial: Free Interactive Lessons and Presentations: This video shows teachers how to use Wayground (formerly Quizizz) to create free, interactive presentations with built-in questions, polls, and game-like features that keep students engaged.

References

Wayground. (2025, November 7). Find free, ready-to-use resources in the Wayground library. Wayground Help Center. https://help.wayground.com/support/solutions/articles/158000403880-find-free-ready-to-use-resources-in-the-wayground-library

Minecraft Education

Minecraft displayed on laptop
Photo by Oberon Copeland @veryinformed.com on Unsplash

Minecraft Education is a game-based learning platform where students explore and build in a block-based world while working on curriculum topics such as math, science, social studies, coding, and design (Minecraft Education, 2025).  Minecraft is popular among kids, so why not implement it into the classroom and let them play and learn at the same time!  I want to learn more about this platform and hopefully observe or volunteer in a class that uses it in the future.

How to Get Started on Minecraft Education as a Teacher

  1. Download the Minecraft Education app.
  2. Sign in with your school/ organizational account. 

One thing I like about this platform is its teacher training. There are learning modules called Learn to Play for the basics of the game, and Lesson Crafter an AI-powered lesson generator. I love that the training is designed for all levels of comfort with technology and walks teachers through how to implement Minecraft Education in the classroom step by step.

Video Spotlight Getting Started with Minecraft Education

I watched a video titled ‘How to Get Started Teaching With Minecraft Education, ‘ which guides teachers on downloading the app, signing in with a school account, and using tutorial worlds to introduce students to basic controls. It also shows how to select a curriculum-aligned lesson world and establish clear learning objectives. This helped me understand how teachers can transition from viewing Minecraft as just a fun game to using it as a structured, game-based learning tool, planned and assessed like any other lesson.

Steps on how to implement Minecraft Education in a classroom setting.

References 

Minecraft Education. (2025). Resources for educators. Microsoft. https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/get-started/educators

IXL Math

I found many research articles on the benefits of math-focused game-based learning, which led me to explore IXL Math games. I have already looked at Wayground as a competitive group game and Minecraft Education as an individual/world-based game, so I wanted to examine a math-specific tool as well. IXL Math offers a collection of online math games and practice activities organized by grade level (K–12). Students answer questions, earn points, and receive immediate feedback. This platform can be used both in the classroom and at home to reinforce specific math skills.

smart little kid using laptop typing then writing at desk in university classroom, blackboard with formulas is visible in background.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

How to Implement IXL Math the Classroom

  1. Create a free IXL account as a teacher or through the district
  2. Choose grade or topic
  3. Assign games through IXL to the class
  4. Share a code or QR code with students to access games.

What does the teacher see?

In IXL, teachers can assign specific math skills to their class and then monitor progress through dashboards and reports. The live class view lets teachers see which skills students are working on in real time and how accurate they are, while skill and student reports show SmartScores, errors, and time on task. This makes IXL not only a game-based practice tool, but also a source of formative assessment data for planning next steps in instruction (IXL Learning, n.d.).

Video Spotlight: Assigning and Monitoring in IXL

I watched short IXL teacher videos such as Assigning Skills and Skill plans in IXL  and IXL Analytics, which show how to choose specific math skills, assign them to a class, and then monitor students’ SmartScores and progress in real time (IXL Learning, n.d.). These videos can be helpful for teachers to incorporate into the classroom and use as a formative assessment tool in math. 

Reference

IXL Learning. (n.d.). IXL videos for teachers. IXL. Retrieved December 7, 2025, from https://www.ixl.com/resources/videos

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